May it Be
By Siren
I'd like to thank all of the people who were kind enough to review. In this chapter Legolas and Lily arrive at Mirkwood. Lily still doesn't know that he's an elf. (She's not exactly at her most perceptive right now.) Anyway, be prepared for some Legolas/Lily moments, as well as an argument or two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May it be an evening star
Shines strong upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
- "May it be" by Enya
Lily awoke to see Legolas's face only inches away from her's. She blinked, unsure of what to say. Noticing her discomfort, he smiled slightly. " 'Quel amrun," he greeted. She frowned. "What?" He stood up. "I said 'good morning'." Lily's mouth formed a small 'o' as she stood up. "We should leave now if we want to get to Mirkwood by afternoon." She nodded. "Okay." She followed him as he walked through the woods.
"Who is Tom?" Lily's eyes widened at the name. "What?" Legolas looked back at her expectantly. "Who's Tom? You cried out for him in your sleep." She suddenly wished she could crawl under a rock and die. She had finally fallen asleep last night, only to cry out for her brother. "He's....no one. Just a boy." Legolas smiled slightly. "Is he waiting for you back home?" She shook her head. "No. No one's waiting for me at home."
He frowned and slowed his pace a bit until she was next to him. "No one? What about your family?" Lily looked away. Why was he asking so many questions? "I don't want to talk about it," she muttered and quickened her pace. Legolas caught the hint and dropped the subject. "If you like forests, than you'll love Mirkwood." Lily nodded, not really paying attention. Her thoughts kept drifting back to her family, much to her dismay. Why did they haunt her? Why couldn't she have a moment's peace?
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, and noticed that Legolas had stopped walking. She frowned and looked around. "What's wrong? Why did we stop walking?" He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Orcs," he whispered. Lily nodded slowly. "Orcs?" He nodded and looked around, searching the forests. "They're close. Too close. Come, if we hurry we might be able to out run them." Lily didn't know what an Orc was, but she knew it was bad by the tone of his voice. Running beside him, she glanced over her shoulder. She could hear it now. She could hear twigs snapping and feet pounding on the earth. Just when she thought they were ahead of the enemy, a gut-wrenching screech filled the air, causing her to wince.
"What is that?" she asked. Legolas didn't bother to look at her when he answered. "It's the Orcs! They must have caught our scent!" he yelled over the screeching. Lily's eyes widened. She felt her heart pound in her chest as they ran. What had she done to deserve this? First she gets lost in a world unknown to her, and now she was being hunted by monsters. Hearing the screeching grow louder, she pushed all thoughts aside. She could question her life later. Right now, she had to worry about staying alive.
"They're getting closer!" she yelled. She didn't wait to hear Legolas's reply, she knew he knew it. Pushing her legs to the limit, she forced herself to go faster. She cried out as she felt her muscles burn and strain. She watched as Legolas took out his bow and an arrow and fired it without slowing down. They were rewarded with a scream of pain from the enemy. "Nice shot!" she shouted. She could've sworn she saw him smile briefly, but all of her thoughts disappeared when she felt a muscle tear.
She let out an agonized scream as she tripped and fell to the ground. She grabbed her injured side and squeezed it, tears escaping her eyes. "Legolas!" she screamed. He turned around and ran towards her. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes searching for any visible wounds. "My side!" He frowned. The Orcs were getting closer, gaining on them too quickly for comfort. Lifting her into his arms, he turned and ran. Lily didn't bother to protest and wrapped her arms around his neck. She cursed herself for being a burden and shut her eyes tightly.
She shrieked as an arrow flew past her face. The Orcs were only a few feet behind them and gaining. "Drop me!" Legolas looked down at her in confusion. "What?" She growled and tugged a strand of his hair. "Drop me! I'll hide, and you can run at your full speed. When they leave, you can come back for me." Legolas shook his head. "They'll kill you," he argued. He frowned when he noticed that the thought of death didn't seem to frighten her. Locking her eyes with his, he realized what she was about to do. She pulled a handful of his hair violently, jerking his head back. Kicking in his arms, he dropped her. She rolled to the side, and crawled to a ditch.
Legolas looked back at her for a moment before continuing to run to Mirkwood. The Orcs ran past her, giving chase to him instead. She just prayed that he would be all right. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many hours passed, and the sun was beginning to set. Legolas should've returned by now. 'Maybe he forgot about me. Maybe he got hurt or caught by those monsters,' she thought to herself. She shuddered against the cold night air, and drew her knees to her chest. She didn't mind being alone, but she wasn't about to jump for joy at the thought of being alone in the dark woods. Now that she was alone, she allowed her mind to drift back to thoughts of her family. Tom had been her younger brother by four years. He was only eleven when he died.
She remembered teasing him and calling him a little twerp. But she was always there to protect him when he needed it. "But not that day. That day I failed him," she whispered. He always depended on her to protect him, and the one time he needed her the most, she failed him. The guilt struck her hard, and she found herself crying. Tom had looked up to her and loved her. "If I had only been there five minutes earlier, than maybe..." She shook her head. She often dreamt of how her life would be different, if only she had gotten there earlier. Tom would still be in her life, as well as her parents.
She was never a very religious person, but she hoped that her family was in a better place. She hoped they were in heaven, where they were safe and warm. Thinking back to where she was at the moment, she began to wonder if she was in hell. Maybe this was her punishment for letting her family down. Maybe this was her hell. After all, monsters roamed freely, and she was still unable to find rest. Maybe she had died, and her soul was wandering aimlessly. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she rested her head on them.
This was how Legolas found her. He had made it to Mirkwood safely, and had informed his father of what had happened. He was angry that he had been detained for so long, but at least he knew she was safe. He knew she was hurting. Her pain could be seen and felt by even the most oblivious people. Why wouldn't she let anyone comfort her? Why did she insist on keeping everyone out? If she had been an elf, than she would have died from a broken heart, that was certain.
"Lady Lily?" She looked up from her hiding spot. When she didn't immiedietly get up he began to worry. "What's wrong?" he asked. Shaking her head, she stood up. "Nothing. Are those monsters gone?" The Elvin prince nodded. "They stopped chasing me after a mile or so. I haven't seen them since." Lily walked over to him and nodded. "Good. So, are we still going to Mirkwood?" Legolas nodded. "Yes. But since it's almost nightfall, my father will have to see you tomorrow. Come, we should be in Mirkwood in an hour or so." Following the man in front of her, she avoided his gaze. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily was in awe at the sight before her. Tall stone buildings covered the land, some with vines twining around them. The moonlight seemed to give the place a certain glow, and numerous flowers and trees covered the property. Legolas saw her mouth gaping and smiled. "This place is amazing. I've never seen anything like it," she said. His smile grew. "You are fond of nature?" She nodded, her eyes still scanning the area. "I always find nature very peaceful. That is, when I'm not being chased by monsters."
They came to a stop in front of a building. Legolas opened the door, and she walked inside. It was huge. Lily counted at least twenty rooms, and a large hallway that lead to yet more rooms and a large staircase. They walked up the large, marble stairs, coming to yet another hallway filled with rooms. Legolas stepped in front of one and turned to her. "This is your room. Mine is right next door, so if anything happens I'll be here in less than a second."
Lily nodded and opened the door. The room was incredible. There was a large bed fit for a queen, a closet, a nightstand, some statues and paintings, and a vanity. But that wasn't the most amazing thing. What shocked her was that there was no wall and the back of the room. It was basically like one giant balcony, with vines wrapping around stone pillars. "This is, this is amazing. I don't deserve this," she whispered. Legolas frowned. "Nonsense. All of the rooms are like this."
Ignoring his comment, she walked over to the balcony and stepped outside. The air was warmer here, unlike the forests. Unlike the polluted air at home, the air here was fresh and she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. She wondered if heaven was as beautiful as this place. Mirkwood held a quiet innocence to it, something she had not seen since she was younger. Her mother would have loved to see this place. A bittersweet smile tugged at her lips, and a gentle breeze caused her to shiver.
Legolas watched the many emotions cross her face. Love, hate, regret, awe and a gentle shyness. But her eyes held a deep sadness that she didn't dare to let surface. How she managed to live with such grief was beyond him, but he wished for nothing more than to be of some comfort to her. "Why won't you let anyone comfort you?" he asked quietly, breaking the silence. Lily opened her eyes, but kept her back to him. "I don't need to be comforted," she answered. Even she no longer believed it. Her voice sounded hollow, empty.
"That is a lie and you know it. Even a blind man could see the pain in your eyes!" he yelled. Lily tensed at his sharp tone and turned to him. "And what would you have me do? Tell you of my pain and sob in your arms? The time for tears has passed, and it won't solve anything." Legolas walked towards her, shaking his head. "It will help to ease your heart," he argued. Lily lifted her chin in defiance. "No amount of tears could ease the pain in my heart, so stop pushing!" "Why do you run from your past? Be strong and face it."
Unable to listen to any more, she slapped him. "Be strong? I have been strong! Just making it through each passing moment without dying takes strength for me! How dare you look at me and tell me what to do! What gives you the right to look at me and make judgments?" The elf's hand flew to his stinging cheek, and his eyes widened at her sudden outburst. Her jaw was clenched, as well as her fists. "Forgive me, my lady, I did not mean to offend. I merely wanted to help. A healer will arrive shortly to care for your wound. Now I shall take my leave."
With that, he turned and left, leaving Lily alone. Regret pooled in her eyes, and for a moment she thought about going after him. He had only wanted to help, she knew that. But it had taken years for her heart to heal, and she couldn't open up to anyone without her wound opening as well. Sitting on the bed, she faced the balcony. Clasping her hands together, she bowed her head and recited a prayer that her mother had taught her long ago.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen."
2 Be Continued
I'd like to thank all of the people who were kind enough to review. In this chapter Legolas and Lily arrive at Mirkwood. Lily still doesn't know that he's an elf. (She's not exactly at her most perceptive right now.) Anyway, be prepared for some Legolas/Lily moments, as well as an argument or two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May it be an evening star
Shines strong upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
- "May it be" by Enya
Lily awoke to see Legolas's face only inches away from her's. She blinked, unsure of what to say. Noticing her discomfort, he smiled slightly. " 'Quel amrun," he greeted. She frowned. "What?" He stood up. "I said 'good morning'." Lily's mouth formed a small 'o' as she stood up. "We should leave now if we want to get to Mirkwood by afternoon." She nodded. "Okay." She followed him as he walked through the woods.
"Who is Tom?" Lily's eyes widened at the name. "What?" Legolas looked back at her expectantly. "Who's Tom? You cried out for him in your sleep." She suddenly wished she could crawl under a rock and die. She had finally fallen asleep last night, only to cry out for her brother. "He's....no one. Just a boy." Legolas smiled slightly. "Is he waiting for you back home?" She shook her head. "No. No one's waiting for me at home."
He frowned and slowed his pace a bit until she was next to him. "No one? What about your family?" Lily looked away. Why was he asking so many questions? "I don't want to talk about it," she muttered and quickened her pace. Legolas caught the hint and dropped the subject. "If you like forests, than you'll love Mirkwood." Lily nodded, not really paying attention. Her thoughts kept drifting back to her family, much to her dismay. Why did they haunt her? Why couldn't she have a moment's peace?
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, and noticed that Legolas had stopped walking. She frowned and looked around. "What's wrong? Why did we stop walking?" He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Orcs," he whispered. Lily nodded slowly. "Orcs?" He nodded and looked around, searching the forests. "They're close. Too close. Come, if we hurry we might be able to out run them." Lily didn't know what an Orc was, but she knew it was bad by the tone of his voice. Running beside him, she glanced over her shoulder. She could hear it now. She could hear twigs snapping and feet pounding on the earth. Just when she thought they were ahead of the enemy, a gut-wrenching screech filled the air, causing her to wince.
"What is that?" she asked. Legolas didn't bother to look at her when he answered. "It's the Orcs! They must have caught our scent!" he yelled over the screeching. Lily's eyes widened. She felt her heart pound in her chest as they ran. What had she done to deserve this? First she gets lost in a world unknown to her, and now she was being hunted by monsters. Hearing the screeching grow louder, she pushed all thoughts aside. She could question her life later. Right now, she had to worry about staying alive.
"They're getting closer!" she yelled. She didn't wait to hear Legolas's reply, she knew he knew it. Pushing her legs to the limit, she forced herself to go faster. She cried out as she felt her muscles burn and strain. She watched as Legolas took out his bow and an arrow and fired it without slowing down. They were rewarded with a scream of pain from the enemy. "Nice shot!" she shouted. She could've sworn she saw him smile briefly, but all of her thoughts disappeared when she felt a muscle tear.
She let out an agonized scream as she tripped and fell to the ground. She grabbed her injured side and squeezed it, tears escaping her eyes. "Legolas!" she screamed. He turned around and ran towards her. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes searching for any visible wounds. "My side!" He frowned. The Orcs were getting closer, gaining on them too quickly for comfort. Lifting her into his arms, he turned and ran. Lily didn't bother to protest and wrapped her arms around his neck. She cursed herself for being a burden and shut her eyes tightly.
She shrieked as an arrow flew past her face. The Orcs were only a few feet behind them and gaining. "Drop me!" Legolas looked down at her in confusion. "What?" She growled and tugged a strand of his hair. "Drop me! I'll hide, and you can run at your full speed. When they leave, you can come back for me." Legolas shook his head. "They'll kill you," he argued. He frowned when he noticed that the thought of death didn't seem to frighten her. Locking her eyes with his, he realized what she was about to do. She pulled a handful of his hair violently, jerking his head back. Kicking in his arms, he dropped her. She rolled to the side, and crawled to a ditch.
Legolas looked back at her for a moment before continuing to run to Mirkwood. The Orcs ran past her, giving chase to him instead. She just prayed that he would be all right. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many hours passed, and the sun was beginning to set. Legolas should've returned by now. 'Maybe he forgot about me. Maybe he got hurt or caught by those monsters,' she thought to herself. She shuddered against the cold night air, and drew her knees to her chest. She didn't mind being alone, but she wasn't about to jump for joy at the thought of being alone in the dark woods. Now that she was alone, she allowed her mind to drift back to thoughts of her family. Tom had been her younger brother by four years. He was only eleven when he died.
She remembered teasing him and calling him a little twerp. But she was always there to protect him when he needed it. "But not that day. That day I failed him," she whispered. He always depended on her to protect him, and the one time he needed her the most, she failed him. The guilt struck her hard, and she found herself crying. Tom had looked up to her and loved her. "If I had only been there five minutes earlier, than maybe..." She shook her head. She often dreamt of how her life would be different, if only she had gotten there earlier. Tom would still be in her life, as well as her parents.
She was never a very religious person, but she hoped that her family was in a better place. She hoped they were in heaven, where they were safe and warm. Thinking back to where she was at the moment, she began to wonder if she was in hell. Maybe this was her punishment for letting her family down. Maybe this was her hell. After all, monsters roamed freely, and she was still unable to find rest. Maybe she had died, and her soul was wandering aimlessly. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she rested her head on them.
This was how Legolas found her. He had made it to Mirkwood safely, and had informed his father of what had happened. He was angry that he had been detained for so long, but at least he knew she was safe. He knew she was hurting. Her pain could be seen and felt by even the most oblivious people. Why wouldn't she let anyone comfort her? Why did she insist on keeping everyone out? If she had been an elf, than she would have died from a broken heart, that was certain.
"Lady Lily?" She looked up from her hiding spot. When she didn't immiedietly get up he began to worry. "What's wrong?" he asked. Shaking her head, she stood up. "Nothing. Are those monsters gone?" The Elvin prince nodded. "They stopped chasing me after a mile or so. I haven't seen them since." Lily walked over to him and nodded. "Good. So, are we still going to Mirkwood?" Legolas nodded. "Yes. But since it's almost nightfall, my father will have to see you tomorrow. Come, we should be in Mirkwood in an hour or so." Following the man in front of her, she avoided his gaze. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily was in awe at the sight before her. Tall stone buildings covered the land, some with vines twining around them. The moonlight seemed to give the place a certain glow, and numerous flowers and trees covered the property. Legolas saw her mouth gaping and smiled. "This place is amazing. I've never seen anything like it," she said. His smile grew. "You are fond of nature?" She nodded, her eyes still scanning the area. "I always find nature very peaceful. That is, when I'm not being chased by monsters."
They came to a stop in front of a building. Legolas opened the door, and she walked inside. It was huge. Lily counted at least twenty rooms, and a large hallway that lead to yet more rooms and a large staircase. They walked up the large, marble stairs, coming to yet another hallway filled with rooms. Legolas stepped in front of one and turned to her. "This is your room. Mine is right next door, so if anything happens I'll be here in less than a second."
Lily nodded and opened the door. The room was incredible. There was a large bed fit for a queen, a closet, a nightstand, some statues and paintings, and a vanity. But that wasn't the most amazing thing. What shocked her was that there was no wall and the back of the room. It was basically like one giant balcony, with vines wrapping around stone pillars. "This is, this is amazing. I don't deserve this," she whispered. Legolas frowned. "Nonsense. All of the rooms are like this."
Ignoring his comment, she walked over to the balcony and stepped outside. The air was warmer here, unlike the forests. Unlike the polluted air at home, the air here was fresh and she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. She wondered if heaven was as beautiful as this place. Mirkwood held a quiet innocence to it, something she had not seen since she was younger. Her mother would have loved to see this place. A bittersweet smile tugged at her lips, and a gentle breeze caused her to shiver.
Legolas watched the many emotions cross her face. Love, hate, regret, awe and a gentle shyness. But her eyes held a deep sadness that she didn't dare to let surface. How she managed to live with such grief was beyond him, but he wished for nothing more than to be of some comfort to her. "Why won't you let anyone comfort you?" he asked quietly, breaking the silence. Lily opened her eyes, but kept her back to him. "I don't need to be comforted," she answered. Even she no longer believed it. Her voice sounded hollow, empty.
"That is a lie and you know it. Even a blind man could see the pain in your eyes!" he yelled. Lily tensed at his sharp tone and turned to him. "And what would you have me do? Tell you of my pain and sob in your arms? The time for tears has passed, and it won't solve anything." Legolas walked towards her, shaking his head. "It will help to ease your heart," he argued. Lily lifted her chin in defiance. "No amount of tears could ease the pain in my heart, so stop pushing!" "Why do you run from your past? Be strong and face it."
Unable to listen to any more, she slapped him. "Be strong? I have been strong! Just making it through each passing moment without dying takes strength for me! How dare you look at me and tell me what to do! What gives you the right to look at me and make judgments?" The elf's hand flew to his stinging cheek, and his eyes widened at her sudden outburst. Her jaw was clenched, as well as her fists. "Forgive me, my lady, I did not mean to offend. I merely wanted to help. A healer will arrive shortly to care for your wound. Now I shall take my leave."
With that, he turned and left, leaving Lily alone. Regret pooled in her eyes, and for a moment she thought about going after him. He had only wanted to help, she knew that. But it had taken years for her heart to heal, and she couldn't open up to anyone without her wound opening as well. Sitting on the bed, she faced the balcony. Clasping her hands together, she bowed her head and recited a prayer that her mother had taught her long ago.
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen."
2 Be Continued
